REGION: New coastal route may persuade bike race to return next year

Oceanside would become starting line, Escondido would remain finish

NORTH COUNTY -- Aiming to lure the Amgen bike race back to North
County for a second run next May, local officials have proposed a
new route that would begin in Oceanside and conclude in downtown
Escondido.

The new route was prompted by a recent Amgen decision that the
2009 route, which went from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido via
Palomar Mountain, would not work in 2010 because the statewide race
has been compressed from nine days to eight.

"They said Palomar Mountain would be just too hard logistically
with a shorter race," said Cami Mattson, chief executive of the San
Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau. "But their eyes lit
up when I started talking to them about Oceanside and having the
riders come down from L.A. on the train."

But even with the more appealing route, Mattson said Thursday
that there was about a 50 percent chance that the race would come
to San Diego County at all in 2010.

And those chances would drop dramatically, she said, if
Escondido city officials don't agree next Wednesday to pay Amgen
about $250,000 for the race. That money, which could come from
donations, sponsorships and fundraising events, would cover
security and maintenance near the finish line and free lodging for
600 people connected to the race.

Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said she was cautiously
optimistic that a majority of the council would support the move,
based on the huge crowds during the race and the international TV
exposure that Escondido received.

The 97-mile race, which included seven-time Tour de France
winner Lance Armstrong and many other top cyclists, drew estimated
crowds of 300,000 to downtown Escondido in February.

"Now that people have seen how great the race is, it will be
easier to get them behind it," said Pfeiler. "I think it's clear
that this is worth the money."

While many local businesses said the race provided them a major
boost, Mattson said there has been no formal analysis of how much
revenue the event generated for Escondido.

Escondido had to come up with only $100,000 last year, and that
was covered by donations from two private citizens.

The prospect of crowds and exposure has been enough to persuade
Oceanside officials to promise the $50,000 that Amgen requires from
cities that host the starting line for a leg of its race. Cities
that host starting lines pay far less than those that host finish
lines because crowds are much larger at the finish.

"It's tremendous exposure for the city of Oceanside," said
Leslee Gaul, director of the city's California Welcome Center.
"Millions of viewers around the world will see us."

Gaul and Mattson have persuaded Oceanside city officials to
cover the cost of police and maintenance workers for the race,
which has been estimated at $25,000. But Oceanside City Manager
Peter Weiss said most employees would complete the work as part of
their ordinary tasks, which would reduce the city's costs.

"This event will draw many people to Oceanside on a weekend that
is usually pretty weak," said Weiss, who predicted the race would
significantly boost hotel occupancy. "I expect we'll get a strong
return on our investment."